All the details you missed from Trooping the Colour 2026

Trooping the Colour has come and gone for another year, celebrating King Charles′ official birthday with an inspection of troops, a parade, and a balcony appearance by the royal family. 

Here are the subtle details you may have missed among the pomp and pageantry. 

Louis is all grown up

Since his first appearance at Trooping the Colour, Prince Louis’ facial expressions during the event have been a source of delight for royal watchers. 

Amid the stiff and formal royal family, the youngest’s animated expressions have always been a welcome relief for fans. Who can forget the photo of him blocking his ears in front of his great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth?

But this year it seems he has well and truly grown up. The eight-year-old was much more reserved this year, following his family’s lead, especially his older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

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However, he did break away from his family on some occasions to get a closer look at the display in front of him, looked directly in the air, and even had his mouth gaping open with his signature Louis charm.

Kate’s tribute to Diana

Catherine, Princess of Wales stunned in a baby blue coat dress from iconic British designer Catherine Walker, but many realised that they had seen it before.

With the coat silhouette and contrast white trim along the collar, the dress is almost the same as one of the late Princess Diana’s favourites. 

Also by Catherine Walker, Diana wore the coat many times in the late 1980s.

Kate’s dress is called the ‘Lafayette’ coat and is described as “an impeccably tailored, hand-crafted couture coat dress defined by precision. 

“Every line is deliberate, every seam exacting—a statement of quiet authority and timeless sophistication, created for moments that demand presence without excess,” says the website.

Matching with her kids

In addition to matching with her late mother-in-law, Kate also made sure to coordinate her childrens’ outfits with hers. 

Prince George and Prince Louis both wore pale blue ties to match her dress.

But the most adorable detail was her and Princess Charlotte’s matching three-strand pearl bracelets.

Catherine’s bracelet also provided a link to Princess Diana, with the piece having first been designed and created for her Nigel Milne and his wife, Cherry in 1989. Diana wore the piece throughout her royal tour of Hong Kong, and the piece was eventually passed down to William, who gifted it to his wife.

Why King Charles rejected tradition

It is tradition for the monarch to lead the Trooping the Colour parade on horseback alongside other members of the royal family, but Charles instead rode in a carriage alongside his wife, Queen Camilla. 

This is the third year he has decided to do so, having made the switch from horseback to carriage in 2024 after his cancer diagnosis. 

Before that, he rode on horseback for one year during his own reign, as well as his mother Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

Prince William defies royal protocol

Prince William has defied a royal rule during his latest appearance at Trooping the Colour. 

But there was one detail of his outfit that raised eyebrows – his facial hair. 

The 43-year-old stood alongside his family, including his father King Charles, wearing his red military uniform and tall black headgear as they inspected the troops together during the King’s birthday parade. 

The future king sported his thick beard, which he has spent the last few years growing out, despite it being considered a violation of protocol for members of the royal family, and especially for those in the military.